One of the settlers, Menachem, told Ynet, “All day Saturday it seemed as if Major-General Stern was stressed, and acting like he was being persecuted. He felt uncomfortable, and after what he did in the disengagement, I think that is warranted.”

According to him, Stern’s wife pushed people away from the synagogue and yelled, “Go away, crazies. Leave us alone.” Eventually, the Stern family left the synagogue.

This was not the first incident in which Stern has been criticized by settlers. Before the disengagement, Stern received similar treatment during a visit to Neveh Dkalim; his tires were slashed, and teenagers cursed at him.

Three months later, Stern was attacked by over a hundred haredim while visiting the Western Wall with his family. In that incident, several haredim throw stones at the major-general. Police forces had to secure the rest of his visit.

Commenting on Saturday’s incident, an IDF spokesman condemned the behavior “that we have witnessed several times in recent months”.

“The IDF and those who serve it should be kept out of the political debate,” he said.